Beans on Toast Egg Bake

Okay, just give me a chance with this one. Even I was completely unsure as to whether this was going to work out, but let me tell you – this dish is GOOD. So good that I thought Chase and I would have leftovers but somehow we polished off the whole skillet in one breakfast. No leftovers + satisfied bellies = winning dish. Fact.

I came up with this when I saw Giada make an Italian sausage and egg bake, which sounded awesome except I don’t each sausage, but if that’s your thing you should totally give it a try cause it looked way yummy. So then I thought, “What about beans or something? Is that weird? Don’t people in the UK eat beans on toast for breakfast? If they can do it, so can I.” Aren’t you amazed by my reasoning skills?

I wanted to use a recipe for baked beans that I’ve made before, except the full recipe has a bit of a spicy kick to it, which is great at a barbeque but more than I want to deal with first thing in the morning. I need “mellow” in the morning, not Sriracha. After omitting the chili paste and most of the ginger I felt I had the perfect accompaniment for eggs and toast.

VERY IMPORTANT – You MUST make the beans ahead of time. Otherwise you’ll get up in the morning and realize your breakfast might be ready in time for dinner. But if you have these beans chilling in the fridge (they should last for a week) this comes together in a snap and is comforting start to the day.

Also – in case anyone is keeping track this is the first recipe for my resolution to cook at least one dish a month with dried beans. And yes, I KNOW it’s February but I made this a week ago and was then knocked out by a cold so I’m a little late getting it up on the web. But IT STILL COUNTS.

Beans on Toast Egg Bake

For the Baked Beans:

I cut the original recipe for the baked beans in half, and it was the perfect size for a standard skillet and easily fed 2 people. If you have a big family or want more then double this.

Soak the beans in water 8 hours or overnight. Drain the beans and then place in a dutch oven with the chopped onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 50 minutes or until the beans are tender. Drain the beans once again, reserving half of the liquid.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In the pot, add in the remaining ingredients and the 1 ½ cups cooking liquid. Cover with a lid, and cook in the oven for 6-8 hours. Every two hours you should check and stir the beans and determine if you need more cooking liquid to keep them from drying out. 8 hours will get you the maximum flavor in the beans, but they’re still awesome after 6 hours, FYI. Remove the bay leaf and peppercorns when finished.

For the Egg Bake:

Baked Beans

2 cups crusty bread, cubed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, or any other cheese you prefer

3-4 eggs

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Drizzle the cubed bread in olive oil and toast until they begin to turn golden brown. Set aside.

Spread the beans on the bottom of a skillet. Top with the croutons, pressing them down a little so they sink into the beans, and then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Carefully crack the eggs and gently drop into the beans. It’s best to find spaces in between croutons where you can form a little “nest” for the eggs.

Bake for about 15 minutes (or a few minutes longer if you want the yolks completely cooked)